Blog: Observations and Insights
ASTC to Announce Support for a PES Community of Practice
October 5, 2011
Larry Bell
ASTC is going to announce its support for a Community of Practice around Public Engagement with Science at the upcoming ASTC conference in an open session on Sunday, October 16, at 10:30 AM in room 315 at the convention center...
Risk, Uncertainty, and Sustainable Innovation: New perspectives on emerging challenges
September 20, 2011
Larry Bell
We scientists and innovators should just accept the idea that when it comes to new and emerging technologies that at some point along the way we are going to “cock it up.” The public knows it will happen and we...
Growing Interest in Networks
September 12, 2011
Larry Bell
The National Science Foundation has asked CAISE ( Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education ) to explore creating a focus on networks at it's PI Summit in the spring. CAISE is using the ASTC session that NISE Net...
Nanotechnology moves from discovery to commercialization
May 6, 2011
Larry Bell
Research on publications and patent applications filed by both large and small corporations illustrates the trends in commercialization of nanotechnology -- to what extent and in what fields ideas are turning into commercial products. Jan Youtie of Georgia Tech presented...
Nano is real! And it's not just silver and sunscreen.
March 26, 2011
Larry Bell
Sheets of carbon nanotube material 4 yards wide and 100 yards long! Two kilometer spools of carbon nanotube yarn! Mercedes adjustable tint sunroofs! Mobile phone charging shoulder bags. Powerplastic! All of these were featured at NanoDays in Boston today. Five...
NISE Net on one page
January 17, 2011
Larry Bell
For NSF's Nanoscale Science and Engineering Grantee Meeting last month, I put together a poster on the NISE Net. It's an overview of what the NISE Net. I find it useful to have this in my office. I can use...
Engines of Growth and Recovery
December 9, 2010
Larry Bell
Three Presidential Science and Technology Advisors opened the NNI Innovation Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, today. The Summit was a kind of 10th birthday party for the National Nanotechnology Initiative. I was surprised at how much of this opening discussion...
Even a computer generated avatar!
December 8, 2010
Larry Bell
Joan Straumanis of NSF's Science of Learning Centers program had a neat little slide in her presentation today at the NSE Grantee's meeting at NSF. She says that research in learning shows that if your goal is getting people to...
Where has nano research money gone in 2010?
December 8, 2010
Larry Bell
This chart says it all (click on it to see a version large enough to read): This chart was part of Mike Roco's presentation at the 2010 NSF NSE Grantee Meeting.
Periodic Table of Nanoparticles
December 7, 2010
Larry Bell
The focus of today's sessions at NSF's meeting of nanoscale science and engineering grantees focuses on putting the science to practical use. First up this morning is nanomanufacturing. Mark Tuonimen from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst gave a talk...